Whats The Big Deal About Sites Hosted Overseas?

12 posts in this topic

SashaB 10

Im a bit confused, I know a certain someone tried to get this site closed down but as it was hosted in the USA it was a lost cause. Would they have been successfull if it were based in the UK? Surely that would have been crazy

I only recently found out that the other site was UK based, I had thought until now it was based overseas. Is it hosted outside the UK for security? i.e. they dont have to provide information to UK authorities? In which case should we all be wary using sites hosted in the UK?

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

bacchus 10

It's actually hosted in the Netherlands, and the company is based in Belize... go to the following URL and put the domain into the search box to find out all that and more (such as the fact that nearly 25% of the visitors to the site are from London):

As for hosting sites overseas, you'll prolly find that the TOS/AUP etc are more flexible WRT adult content than in the UK because of local laws etc. Hosting sites overseas can affect localised Google search results, however.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

vivluvsme 354

It's actually hosted in the Netherlands, and the company is based in Belize... go to the following URL and put the domain into the search box to find out all that and more (such as the fact that nearly 25% of the visitors to the site are from London):

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Guest miaow99

Im a bit confused, I know a certain someone tried to get this site closed down but as it was hosted in the USA it was a lost cause. Would they have been successfull if it were based in the UK? Surely that would have been crazy

I only recently found out that the other site was UK based, I had thought until now it was based overseas. Is it hosted outside the UK for security? i.e. they dont have to provide information to UK authorities? In which case should we all be wary using sites hosted in the UK?

A lot of people host in the USA because it's cheaper than UK.

Typically the best way to get site closed down is to go after the people who provide server space and bandwidth. If they are outside your jurisdiction, that's tough to do.

For that reason, a lot of pirate music / software sites are hosted in Russia, because they really don't care.

I'm actually surprised this place is US hosted, as it's promoting prostitution which is afaik illegal in most of the US. Although no doubt Galahad has good reasons for it.

The hosting of ** in Netherlands makes a lot of sense though - they are a lot more permissive.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

AdamManchester 10

Im a bit confused, I know a certain someone tried to get this site closed down but as it was hosted in the USA it was a lost cause. Would they have been successfull if it were based in the UK?

I think it was a lost cause because both the owner and hosting is in the US, so out of the reach of UK authorities / law. The domain is not on a .uk TLD either.

Maybe it's a bit like companies incorporated outside the country. What matters is where the management reside. So just because a company is incorporated outside the UK, it doesn't avoid UK Company Tax / VAT if the management is based in the UK.

The same with websites, if the management is based in the UK, they're held responsible for the content under UK law, even if it's hosted outside the UK.